Game apparatus.



WITNESSES E. KRANGHBE. GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.1, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

E. KRANGHER. GAME APPARATUS.- APPLICATION FILED DEC. 1, 1911.

Patented @ct.28,1913.

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GAME APPARATUS.

Specifloation of Letters Patent.

Patented a. 28, 1912.

Application filed December 1, 19M. Serial No. 663,225.

mechanicall playin the game of foot ball by means 0 a num er of figuresrepresenting a team of players lined up in proper order and arrangedupon a board; and the apparatus comprlses a ball of suitable shape,

and means for causing a figure representin another player to bespring-actuated to kic the ball across the board and through the team ofplayers above mentioned.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part oithis specification, in which the same characters of reference indicatethe same parts in all the views.

Figure l: is a top plan of the board or base upon which the game isplayed; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. l; and Fig. l is atop plan of the actuating mechanism for causing the ball to be kickedacross the field.

The apparatus by means of which my game is played comprises a base orboard 1, on the face of which are ruled a number of lines 2',representing the yard lines of a foot ball field; and at one end of thisboard are a pair of u rights 3, representing goal posts connected. 'ymeans of a cord or crossbar'. The players are arranged in front of thegoal posts, the numeral 5 indicating the %uarter-back, the numerals dand 8 the halfacks, the numeral 7 the full-back, the nu metals 9, l0 andI1 the guards, tackles and ends, respectively; on either side of theline, and 12 representing the center. The quarter-back and center aresingle pieces pivotally' mounted upon the board I, but the guresrepresenting the half baclzs and the full-back are made in one piece,which is likewise mounted upon a pivot in the board 1. The. figuresrepresenting the players on the. rush ine are made in two p1eces ofthree players each, and each of these, pieces s mounted upon a pivotwhich enters a recess in the board 1, so that each group of threeplayerson the rush line will turn about a point that is between thetackle and the end. The pivots for the five ieces above mentioned areshown at 13: t ey fit into recesses in the board 1 with sufficienttightness to support the pieces in upright position, but the pieces canturn around-on the pivots to a suflicient angle to allow the ball topass by them or through them when the garrne is being played.

he figure which re resents the player who kicks the ball is sown at 14,and the ball itself in the form of an oval at 15. The ii are indicatedat 14 is mounted upon a s lding member 16, passing through an opening 17in the base l, and connected below the baseby means of a spiral spring18 joined to a bar 19. This bar 19 is curved, as shown in Fig. 4, aroundthe member 16, and this sliding" member 16 is also joined to an operatincord 20, which carries on its outer end a inch or button 21. The cord 20passes through an o ening in a lug 22, pro- 'ecting downward rorn theunderside of the base; and the major portion: oi the length of the cord20, as well as the spring 18, bent-bar 19 and lower part of theslidin%member it are inclosecl by a cover28.

he aperture 17 through the base 1 is in the form of a slot adjacent theend which is nearest to the knob 21, and it flares at re 14 between t"em';'

recesses 24, so that the sliding member 16 can more into these recesseswhen the apparatus is being operated.

The end of the sprin 18 which is secured to the bar 19' is simply copedloosely around the bar and can move laterally thereon. lift-his springmove to oneslde or the other of central position, it will have thesheet, when it is put under tension hy pulling the cord 20, and thenreleasing the same, of drawing the sliding member 16 to a certain extentin an oblique direction toward one side or the other, and causing it toslide into one or the other of the longitudinal recesses 24, The ball 15,'h. W8 '6. is always 9 in central position in front of the aperture 17.As a result, this ball will be struck by the advanced foot of the figure14:, on one side or the other, according as this player is caused by-theaction of the spring 18, to slip into the recesses 2 1 on one side orthe other of central position, and the ball 15 will accordingly bepropelled to the right or left, or straight through the lines of playersand between the goal posts 3.

The manner in which the game is played is as follows: The oval-shapedmember 15 representing the ball is put on the board or base 1 in frontof the aperture 17 in position to be propelled by the advanced foot ofthe figure 14, toward the goal posts at the other end of the board. Asthe ball 15 travels toward the posts 3 it will either fly over thefigures representing the opposing players or be driven through them. Ifit is kicked over the opposing team and between the posts 3, a numberrepresenting a touchdown will be added to the score of the operator.

. If, on the other hand, it strikes the figures representing the playersof the team between the aperture 17 and the goal posts 3, it will causethese figures to turn upon their pivots, allowing the ball to passthrough the line and a certain distance beyond it, according to theforce and the angle of impact before it comes to a stop. The lines 2will be numbered, and the particular line on which the ball comes to astop will then determine the number of yards which has been gained 1against the team on any particular kick.

The figure 14 is caused to drive the ball over or through. the opposingteam by taking hold of the knob 21 and pulling the sliding member 16backward through the connection of the knob 21 with the sliding member16, by means of the cord 20.. this action taking place against the forceof the spring 18. -In the course of the game, the end of the spring 18secured to the bar 19 will move slightly to one side or the other, withthe result that the player 14 when he is drawn forward by the spring 18to kick the ball'15, and the cord 20 is released, will slip into thecentral recess 24, or a. recess on either side of the central recess inthe far end of the aperture 17, and thedirection in which the balltravels when kicked will be varied in this way.

In order to prevent the end of the spring 18 from slipping over towardeither end of the bar 19, and remaining in such position, I bend thisbar not upon the arc of a circle having its center in the slidin member16, but in such a way that'the en 5 of the bar will be located at aslightly greater'distance away from the center of the sliding member 16than the middle of the bar 19. This will cause the end of the spring 18which is looped around the bar 19, to tend at all times to slip back tocentral position, owing to the fact that the cord 20 is of such a lengthas to cause the button or knob 21 to be drawn against the lug 22 whenthe spring 18 is in retracted position. At the same time, however, thisconstruction will not prevent the end of the spring 18 from work ingalong the bar 19 a short distance to either side of the center, asrequired, for

the purpose of varying the direction in which the ball 15 is driven. "5

The end of the spring 18 can be caused to engage the middle of the bar19, or a point on either side of the middle, by the operatormanipulating the cord 20, and the direction in which the ball 15 isdriven can be controlled accordingly. Y

I wish to have it understood that I may make certain changes in theshape, size and arrangement of theparts Wherever the same fall withinthe scope and spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. Apparatus for playing the game of foot ball, comprising a board orbase, a plural- 1ty of p eces representing a team of football players inline formation, each of said pieces being pivotally' mounted upon saidbase, and means for propelling a movable member against said pieces tocause the ball to rotate the same upon their pivots and pass throughsaid team. 7

2. In apparatus for playing the game of foot ball, a movably-mountedfigure representing a player, means for holding said figure 1n agivenposition, and means for movlng said figure against the force ofsaid means, whereby when said m'eansare released, the said figure willbe returned to its origmal position with 'suflicient force-to propel amovable member.

3. Game apparatus com rising a base or board having an a erturetherethrough, said aperture being wi er at one end than at the other andhaving a plurality of longitudinal recesses adjacent said wider end, aslid member moving in said aperture, of a wid tfi designed to enter oneof said recesses, resilient means for causi said sliding member totravel toward sal recesses, means for putting said resilient means undertension and releasingthe same, and a figure representing a foot ballplayer mounted upon said sliding member to be operated thereby.

. 4. Apparatus for playing the game of foot ball, comprising a base orboard having an aperture therethrough, a sliding member projectingthrough said aperture and of less thickness than the width of saidaperture, a figure representing a foot ball player carried by saidsliding member, to be 0 erated thereby, resilient means connecte to saidsliding member for holding the same adjacent one end of said aperture,means for putting said resilient means under stress and releasinthesame, and a bar curved around said sli ing' member and transverselyarranged with respect thereto, said bar having said resilient meansmovably secured thereto and'being bent so as to have its ends located aslightly greater distance from the center of said sliding member whenthe same is held by said spring in one end. of said aperture,

than the central portion of said bar, whereby the end of said resilientmeans can work along said bar to. a certain extent on each side of thecenter thereof, to cause the said member to be moved obliquely onits'return movement.

5. Game apparatus comprising a movablymounted figure representing aplayer, and means for causing said figure to have bodily movement, in astraight-line to propel a movable member thereby.

6. In game apparatus, the combination of a base, a movably-mountedfigure representing a player, resilient means for holding said figure ina given position, and means to translate said figure-0n said baseagainst the force of said resilient. means, whereby when said resilientmeans is released the figure will be returned to its original positionto propel a movable member across said base.

7. In game apparatus,,the combination of ing said figure to move indiflerent directions when actuated by said motioxrimpart ing means.

8. Apparatus for playing the game of foot ball, comprising aboard orbase, a plurality of pieces representing a team of players arranged inline formation, each of said pieces being pivotally mounted upon saidbase and representing one or more players, and means for propelling amovable member against said pieces to cause the member to rotate thesame upon their pivots and pass through said team.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD KRANCHER.

Witnesses: V

WVILLIAM F. NICKEL, PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS.

